How to Paint -I'm making this page about 'how to' painting books because over the years I've collected and read so many of them and I'd like to save you some time and money and direct you to some worthwhile reading. In retrospect, many of the books that I've bought and read didn't really give me the information I was looking for, and I would at least like to think that I'm giving you a better chance at selecting a book that you might find worthwhile.

Think "Safety", both for you and those around you

I've spent considerable time and research delving into the area of Art Materials Safety and there is a page on this website devoted to the subject. The information has been authenticated by a leading expert in the field, and either the article or links to it can be found at various colleges, art related sites, and AMIEN.org (a part of the education department of the non-profit Intermuseum Conservation Association).

You don't have to become an expert in safety but you should practice some basic precautions. For example dangerous habits are holding your brush in your mouth, working with solvents in an unventilated area, and eating or smoking with paint on your hands! Learn about these and more by reading the full article please, or at least the condensed version that hits the highlights!

While the size and detail can look quite imposing, please don't let it frighten you off. A little common sense when working with art materials can go a long way. I didn't feel that I could just toss together a short list and let it go at that; there are so many different things that artists may be doing and so I created something fairly broad-based and lengthily. Therefore it looks a bit imposing.

Basic Lessons in Becoming a Good PainterAimed at the beginner, this book will introduce you to the materials and techniques of oil painting. The author outlines the essentials of a good painting and continues with the basic materials and suggested tools. Everyone begins at the beginning, and this book attempts to address what you need to know by stressing fundamentals, canvas preparation and other basics.

A comprehensive guide to oil painting practice and technique, this reference offers an informative A-to-Z section of valuable skills such as how to build up a painting and how to make brushwork describe forms and textures—as well as a wealth of stimulating ideas for the canvas, including combining oil paints with other media, mixing paint with sand and sawdust, and applying it with such tools as knives, rags, or even the fingers. The second half of the book shows all the techniques in context. Illustrated with a gallery of paintings by well-known artists and full of detailed, step-by-step demonstrations, the guide shows how each artist applies knowledge of oil painting techniques to the interpretation of a subject, whether landscape, portrait, or still life.

Blue and Yellow Don't Make Green

Artists, designers, printers, and crafters alike would agree that the selection and use of color is of great importance to their work. And yet, a great deal of misunderstanding surrounds color mixing. Michael Wilcox offers a total reassessment for the principles underlying color and color usage. This revised edition of the original Blue & Yellow Don't Make Green--the first major breakaway from the traditional concepts of the three primary colors: red, blue and yellow--contains more than 80 pages of new information on the transparency and makeup of colors and includes many new color mixing swatches.

An excellent book.Gregg Kreutz has won numerous honors as a student and professional painter. His paintings have been represented in many juried shows. Gregg is represented by the Fanny Garver Gallery as many others, including the Grand Central Galleries, New York, O'Brien's Art Emporium, and the Dirk Walker Gallery in Brimingham, Alabama. He teaches painting at Scottsdale (Arizona) Artists School, the Fechin Institute (New Mexico), and at the Art Students League in New York City where he lives.

Mr. Carlson was: Director of Art Students League at Woodstock

A Full Member of the National Academy of Design

Winner of the Carnegie Prize

Carlson's Guide to Landscape Painting

A classic book by a renowned instructorIf you intend to paint landscapes, I highly recommend this book. It's an old book, but the fundamentals are solid.

Many people criticize the fact that so many of the paintings are in black and white, but if you can overlook that fact then there is much to be learned from this book. If you want to learn how to get your landscape values right, this is the book for you.

The book has 34 B&W reproductions of his paintings, and 58 diagrams.

"Rest assured that if you work every day at your art, using the materials nearest at hand, you will gradually discover such beauty in them that they will fill you with happiness." ~John F. Carlson

One of my favorite oil painting books.This book, written by Linda Cateura - a student of David A. Leffel, is one of my favorites. It was based on notes Ms. Cateura took during workshops as Mr. Leffel critiqued student works. Leffel studied at the Parsons School of Design, Fordham University and the Art Students League where he taught for twenty-two years. If you have an interest in still life I highly recommend this book, although it's tips and techniques are applicable to a wide variety of subject matter.

Table of Contents:Materials and Formulas---Mediums---Colors---SurfacesDemonstrations of Techniques---Light and Shade---Techniques of Durer (nude)---Techniques of Titian (nude & portrait)---Techniques of Veronese (portrait)---Techniques of Caraviggio (portrait)---Techniques of Rubens (portrait & nude)---Techniques of Hals (portrait)---Techniques of Rembrandt (portrait)---Techniques of Vermeer (portrait)

How to Paint Like the Old Masters25th Anniversary Edition

A classic instructional book that explores the techniques used by the artists of the 16th and 17th centuries.

Each chapter is devoted to a different Old Master and is divided into two sections, the artist's techniques and a full-color demonstration. The author explains the Master's steps, colors, mediums, surfaces and tools, and he paints a new demonstration painting.

If you're interested in emulating the masters, this is a good book for you to study.

Table of Contents:Materials

Sketching

Information Gathering with Photographs

The Nuts and Bolts of Making a Painting

(followed by eight chapters of step-by-step painting demonstrations)

Romantic Oil Painting Made Easy

The author shows how to use reference photographs and how to place the elements within the composition. He does a great job of showing you how to use colors thoroughout a landscape to make a hormonious painting. He explains how to create beautiful backgrounds, how to place a figure within the painting, and other key factors to make a visually appealing piece.

There are eight complete painting demonstrations showing his techniques, so you can give a try to the same paintings yourself.

I have only one criticism of the book and his paintings in general. And that is that his lighting is not consistent throughout his paintings. For example, he will show a background with the light coming from one direction, and then add a person from a photograph wherein the light comes from the opposite direction! He makes no attempt to correct this error, and this is something you should watch out for if you compose paintings using various references.

Robert Hagan's paintings are both romantic and beautiful, and the instructions in this book should go a long way to help you become a better painter.

Fifteen years in preparation, this must have book offers to painters the wisdom and technical savvy of a lifetime. Writing as an acknowledged master, Richard Schmid leads his reader gracefully through the fundamentals and subtleties of painting technique with refreshing clarity, authority and deep affection to all who strive for self-expression, regardless of their level of skill. Now in it’s Eighth Printing, it is treasured by artists worldwide.

Alla Prima

Richard Schmid's books sell out quickly and then rapidly increase in price. I'm fortunate enough to have a copy of each of his books, but if you want to begin to collect his works then be forewarned that the out of print editions are a bit pricey.

One customer reviewer at Amazon stated "This is by far the best book I have ever seen on the subject of oil painting." That statement is difficult to argue with (I'm a big fan of Mr. Schmid's art and his books).

You might want to skip Amazon however, and go directly to Schmid's site where you may find a less expensive copy. But check the amazon link and see if you can find a reseller's deal first! I've been very pleased with the prices and quality of the used art books that I've purchased. Check the paperback price too.

If you're interesting in becoming a digital artist, these are the books that I have read and found to be the most useful and instructive of those in my extensive personal library. If you own Corel's Painter program, you'll want the "Wow!" book.

Nick Fuller - A passionate and successful photographer with an eye for the exceptional. Daniel Kazor - An ever evolving photographer influenced by a background in traditional painting and art mediums currently reinvigorated by the possibilities of digital photography. D. L. Keur - works in a variety of real world and electronic media. Very much a "zen" artist, Dawn let's the art "happen." It is Dawn who is the main culprit guilty of instigating Naked Genius. Edward Kinnally - Mensa member, inventor, published technical author, former Test Lab supervisor and member of an R&D group developing electroluminescent lamp technologies, and an awards winning digital artist. Stacy Lee - a young, vibrant digital mixed media artist whose works explore the multiple facets of this ever-expanding technology and who focuses mainly on spiritual and emotive themes. Revad - a former systems engineer with a BA in Computing and Technology, a member of the British Computer Society, an artist working toward an honours degree in Drawing for Fine Art Practice while exploring the fusion of traditional and digital new media. J. Gracey Stinson - Gracey Stinson, an artist and grandmother who loves to get her hands on as many media as possible. Her passion and adventure for exploration shows up in her widely diverse and beautiful artworks. Tim Stringer - Tim Stringer is a digital painter who draws on his experience with conventional mediums. He has degrees in IT and psychology and makes his living as a graphic artist.

"Artistic Expressions" An International Collection of ArtPress Release from 1stangel.co.uk

On the 1st of June 2008 a new book will be on sale in the marketplace. 'Artistic Expressions' is the first book from the celebrated series '1stAngel Interviews' and contains art and photographs from new talent. The artists include, multiple award winner Edward Kinnally and Zeitgeist Gallery exhibitor tonyp.

EDITORS NOTES

1stAngel Site (www.1stangel.co.uk) opened in February 2008 and is owned by Elizabeth Edwards. It is fast becoming well known in the art world for its excellence and content. Interviews from many artists, authors and photographers have already been placed on the website, with new interviews appearing weekly. With news about art, literature and photography on a front site, and a growing community forum with diverse content attached to the site, Elizabeth continues to expand the opportunities for artists in many fields. She plans on bringing out a series of tutorial videos and books later in the year, with a series of photographic and other art books following on from her interviews.